Winds of Change
by fanficfreak92
Summary: Adrien always calls Marinette "just a friend" but what happens when they get closer? I don't post on here often so I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet. This story is 4 chapters even though it only says one. My apologies


I do not own miraculous Tales of ladybug and cat noir

Winds of Change

Chapter 1: Study Group

Marinette was sitting in history class, while Miss Bustier was droning on and on. She was trying to pay attention, trying to take notes, she really was, but she was exhausted. There was an akuma attack at 1 a.m. the night before, and even though she and Cat Noir won the fight quickly and easily, she wasn't able to go back to sleep.

Cat Noir had gotten himself hurt protecting her…again. The akumatized victim had been using a bow and arrow as a weapon, and just as the arrow was about to pierce Ladybug's leg, Cat Noir jumped in front of her, catching the arrow in his own leg. Even though the injury was not life-threatening, she instantly felt a wave of concern and panic. Even though the Miraculous Ladybugs healed him, she couldn't stop thinking about all of the times he had taken a blow for her. A tap on her arm brought her out of her thoughts.

She looked over at her best friend, Alya,, sitting beside her and watched her mouth the words 'Are you okay?'

Marinette nodded and smiled at the brown-haired girl and watched as Alya turned to face the teacher again. Then Marinette's gaze drifted to the boy in front of her. Kind, brave, always willing to help others and chivalrous were just a few of the things she used to describe the boy in question, her crush, Adrien Agreste.

Adrien had been Marinette's friend and crush since he gave her his umbrella. His best friend was Nino, Alya's boyfriend, and the three of them hung out a lot , Adrien joining them whenever he could. His father kept him on a tight leash, so it wasn't often he got to spend time with friends, making Marinette value his company more than she already did. Truth be told, she was in love with him. She had always been extremely shy around him, having klutz attacks or saying the wrong thing, but something had changed.

Miss Bustier had paired them for a project a couple of months ago that forced them to spend time together, just the two of them. Marinette had been really nervous, but Adrien made her feel comfortable, cracking jokes and just being nice. They worked really well together, getting an A on the project, and ever since then, Marinette noticed that Adrien tried to spend more time with her. She even went to one of his photoshoots, and they ate lunch together on his break. Her shyness, klutz attacks and even saying the wrong thing decreased some. As she spent more time with him and got to know him better, she became more comfortable with him.

After another couple of boring classes, it was lunch time. By the time Marinette got to her usual table with her lunch tray, the others were already there.

"I'm telling you, that video is awesome!" Alya said as Marinette sat down next to her.

"What video?" Marinette asked.

"The video of last night's fight," Nino answered from his seat across from Alya. "It's sick, dude!"

"Wasn't the fight in the middle of the night? How did you manage to get a video?" Marinette asked, knowing the answer but trying to make conversation.

Alya stood up on her seat, put her hands on her hips and with a very dramatic voice, stated, "Whenever Ladybug and Cat Noir are protecting the city, rain or shine, dark or night, I'll be there."

Marinette, Nino and everyone else at the table clapped… well everyone except for one person. Marinette noticed Adrien sitting directly across from her, aimlessly dragging his spork through his food, head down. He looked upset. In fact, he hadn't said a word since Marinette sat down. He was being too quiet, and she was worried.

Not wanting to call unwanted attention to him, Marinette whispered, "Psst, Adrien?"

Adrien lifted his head and looked at Marinette. "Yeah?" He whispered back.

"Are you okay?"

He smiled. "I'm okay."

The smile looked forced, and there was something off about his voice. Marinette knew he was lying but didn't push anymore. She was concerned and curious, but it really wasn't any of her business. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her.

The conversation had turned to the topic of homework, and Adrien was participating now. Something was still off though. Marinette knew him well enough now to know when he was putting up a front, and that's exactly what he was doing. He obviously didn't want the others to know, so she decided to try to get it out of him later. She hated when her friends were bothered by something. She wanted him to know that he could rely on her.

"Are we still on for tonight?" Adrien's voice rang through Marinette's ears, pulling her back into the conversation. He was smiling and looking at her with hope in his eyes.

She smiled back. "Of course."

"Awesome," Adrien said with a grin.

Nino looked at his best friend with a confused expression. "Dude, we're doing homework. Why do you look so happy?"

Adrien gave him a sheepish smile. "Just happy to hang out with friends. I don't get to do that a lot."

Everyone just smiled in response and continued eating. The rest of the school day dragged on like it did every time Marinette was looking forward to something. When it was finally over, Marinette, Adrien, Alya and Nino walked across the street to Marinette's house. They walked through the front door into the bakery, said hello to Marinette's parents and headed upstairs. Once in Marinette's room, Alya stretched out on Marinette's bed, and the boys sat cross-legged on the floor, while Marinette sat at her desk.

After an hour of homework, Marinette's parents called the kids downstairs for dinner. The four teenagers scarfed down their food and then were back to doing homework. Another hour passed of each person doing their individual assignments, while making small talk and jokes here and there, before Marinette announced that she was going downstairs to get snacks.

Alya and Nino just hummed their agreement.

Adrien quickly got to his feet. "I'll help you, Marinette."

"Have to don't. Fine I'll be," Marinette stammered, and everyone chuckled good naturedly, including Adrien. Marinette giggled nervously. "You don't have to. I'll be fine."

"I want to," Adrien told her with a smile.

Marinette smiled and led him to the kitchen. This would be a good time to ask about his sadness earlier

"So about lunch," Marinette started once they were alone. "It seemed like you had something on your mind. If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

"Thank , Marinette," Adrien stated, sounding grateful.

They returned to Marinette's room a few minutes later, Marinette carrying a tray of cookies and Adrien carrying a tray of drinks, and everyone took a snack break. Everyone hummed in delight as they devoured the cookies.

"Delicious as always, Marinette," Alya remarked.

"Nailed it with the snacks again, dude," Nino added.

"You made these?" Adrien asked with awe in his voice.

Marinette blushed and started pulling at her shirt. "Y-yeah.

"Is there anything you can't do?" The boy with the sun colored hair complimented with an adoring smile.

"I need to get home to watch my sisters," Alya said abruptly, standing up and dragging Nino out of the room with her.

Marinette and Adrien shared a confused look, then Adrien turned his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess it's just the two of us now."

"G—guess so," Marinette responded, nervously. Of course she was nervous. She was alone with her crush. What she couldn't understand was why Adrien seemed nervous.

"Lets review for tomorrow's quiz," Adrien suggested, and Marinette agreed with a nod.

After thirty minutes of review, Adrien closed his textbook and said, "We got this."

"Yeah," came Marinette's soft voice.

"My bodyguard won't be here for another hour," Adrien began. "Videogames?"

Marinette grinned, her competitive streak flaring up. "I'm Happy to kick your butt."

The two teens played round after round of videogames, and Marinette won every time.

"Beat down, Marinette Style!" Marinette shouted, raising her arms in the air. She noticed Adrien smiling at her and immediately put her arms down, looking embarrassed. "S-sorry. Good game.""

Adrien just laughed. "It's okay. I love seeing you that happy. It's a good look for you."

Marinette turned beet red and smiled gratefully at him, not trusting her voice at the moment. They just stared at each other in silence until the beep of Adrien's phone broke the moment. He sighed and pulled the phone out of his pocket.

He checked it and frowned. "I have to go."

"Oh," Marinette said sadly. "I'll walk you out."

A few minutes later, Adrien was holding the car door slightly open with Marinette standing in front of him. An awkward silence descended upon them, then suddenly, Adrien let go of the door and put his arms around Marinette, hugging her. What was happening? They may have gotten closer as friends, but he had never hugged her before. She was shocked but wrapped her arms around him anyway. They didn't pull apart until they heard the honk of a horn. Adrien cleared his throat, released Marinette and said that they should do this again sometime. Marinette agreed and then walked to her door. A light breeze ruffled her pigtails and shirt as she stood in her doorway, watching Adrien's car until it was out of sight.

Chapter 2: Internal Struggle Part 1

Adrien was lying in bed, tossing and turning. It had only been a few hours since he left Marinette's house, but he wanted to see her again. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He had always seen Marinette as "just a friend"… or at least, that's what he had always tryed to tell himself. Ever since the day they met, he could see that she was a great person and pretty too. He wasn't blind. If he was being honest with himself, he had had a very ,miniscule attraction to her, but it was so small that it was easy to keep in check, especially after he met Ladybug.

Ladybug. She was the love of his life. He remembered the first day they met, how she was a bit clumsy and kind of scared at first but worked through it. She was so brave, and she just became more fearless by the day. They fought well together, and the banter was great. And even though she wore a mask, he could tell that she was very beautiful. He could just drowned in those Blue Bell eyes. Funny, that's the same color of Marinette's eyes.

Now that Adrien really thought about it, Ladybug and Marinette had a lot in common, not just their eyes. They were both kind and selfless, always helping others. They also weren't afraid to stand up for themselves and others. Ladybug standing up to Hawkmoth during their second battle, telling him that she and Cat Noir would always be there to protect Paris and defeat him, came to mind. He also thought about the many times he'd seen Marinette stand up to Chloe and Lila. Not to mention, both of them had black hair that was always fixed in pigtails. Maybe that's why he liked both of them, they were so much alike. He finally fell asleep and had a dream that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person.

Adrien woke up the next morning, fed Plagg some of his favorite cheese, then proceeded to get ready for school. He went downstairs for breakfast and sat at the dining room table. Nathalie was suddenly there, setting a plate in front of him.

"Your father wishes you good mornings, Adrien," Nathalie said in her usual emotionless voice.

Adrien frowned, looking at his father's assistant. "I guess he won't be joining me for breakfast."

Nathalie just nodded, a blank expression on her face.

Adrien forced a smile. "Please tell him good morning for me then."

Adrien was early to school, as usual. He quickly spotted Nino and ran over to him.

"Hey, Nino!" Adrien shouted, while running.

"Hey, dude," Nino responded with a smile once Adrien reached him. They fist bumped.

"Hey, guys," Alya greeted, walking toward the boys, giving Nino a kiss on the cheek when she got close enough.

The three of them chatted on their way to class. Once the warning bell sounded, the rest of the students trickled into the classroom. The final bell rang, and as soon Miss Bustier opened her mouth, Marinette came running in but skidded to a stop before she collided with the teachers desk.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bustier," Marinette said, looking guilty.

Miss Bustier just sighed. "Take your seat, Marinette."

As Marinette walked by Adrien's desk, he smiled at her and shook his head, earning a shy smile and pink cheeks from her. He found it cute., the apologetic look she gave the teacher. The shy smile she just gave him was pretty adorable t- no! He squashed the thought…or at least he tried to. He couldn't help sneaking glances at her all through class. A few hours later, at the sound of the lunch bell, everyone exited the room. Adrien saw Marinette walking towards the lockers and walked up beside her.

"What's today's excuse?" Adrien asked, making her jump, which made him laugh.

"Adrien, you startled me," Marinette responded, laughing with him.

"So, what was today? Gorilla ate your homework?"

Marinette pouted, so Adrien nudged her shoulder with his, and she smiled. "You were late yesterday, so I don't wanna hear it." She nudged him back.

They walked to the cafeteria together after stopping at Marinette's locker. As the two of them approached the usual table, Adrien caught Nino and Alya starring at them. Alya was raising an eyebrow with a smirk, while Nino just grinned, giving them a thumbs up. Adrien and Marinette sat in the only two spots left at the table, side by side, across from Nino and Alya.

What were those looks all about? He hadn't told anyone about his feelings for Marinette, not even Nino. Were his feelings that obvious? He wasn't treating Marinette any differently than he treated Nino and Alya, right? No way. Marinette was a closer friend now, so it was normal for them to act closer. Still, his friends were acting weird, but he had no idea why.

After school, Adrien's car had just reached his house but didn't make it all the way through the gate before Adrien looked out his wet window to see Marinette running toward him through the downpour. Adrien told his bodyguard he was going to check on Marinette but not to wait. He got out of the car and started walking toward his dark-haired friend, calling out to her. He watched her fail at stopping and start sliding, so he put his arms out, ready to catch her. Marinette collided with Adrien, causing him to fall backwards, but he wrapped his arms tight around her as they fell.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Marinette apologized frantically with an extremely red face, sprawled out on top of Adrien. She looked down, seeming to realize their position, started stammering and clumsily got up.

Adrien couldn't help but laugh as Marinette helped him to his feet. "Are you okay, Marinette?" He asked, still holding her hand.

"I-im f-fine."

Adrien smiled and began leading Marinette into his house. "Lets get you dried off." He let go of Marinette's hand to put his arm around her shoulders instead. He winced and made a pained noise with the first step.

Marinette looked at him with concern. "You're hurt."

Adrien looked at her sweetly, touched by her concern. He instantly thought about how sad and unfocused he was yesterday and how Marinette was the only one to notice. She made sure to let him know that she was there for him if he needed her. That made him like her even more. "All I care about is that you're not hurt." Truth be told, the back of his ankle really hurt, but he didn't want to worry her. She didn't push the issue, and they walked inside.

Nathalie was standing at the bottom of the stairs when the two teenagers came in. She just nodded in understanding as they passed her on the way to Adrien's room. Once in Adrien's room, he closed the door and walked away from Marinette to his dresser. He pulled out a green t-shirt and black sweatpants before walking back to the soaked girl. He handed her the clothes and instructed her to take a warm shower and change, pointing to his bathroom door. Marinette hadn't said a word since they entered the house and continued her silence going into the bathroom.

Adrien changed out of his wet clothes himself after setting his bag on top of his dresser. Then, he walked over to the couch, sat down and began to examine his ankle. There was a small cut and a dot of fresh blood.

"That fall wasn't very pleasant for me either," Plagg stated, suddenly floating next to Adrien. "You okay?"

Adrien smiled at his kwami. "I'm fine, Plagg."

"How's Marinette?"

Adrien glanced at the bathroom door then looked back at the black cat kwami with a dreamy smile on his face. "She's perfect." Plagg gave him a smirk, making Adrien realize what he just said. He corrected himself in a panic. "I-I m-mean she's f-fine!"

Plagg opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the click of the door. He quickly grabbed a piece of cheese from Adrien's bag and flew away to hide. Adrien turned his head just in time to see Marinette walking toward him. His eyes practically popped out of his head, and his mouth fell open. Her hair was down, which he had only seen once before, and it was still wet. His clothes were too big for her, so they swallowed her. She looked adorable. How cute she looked, and the fact that she was wearing his clothes made his heart do a flip inside his chest.

Marinette sat next to Adrien on the couch and bit her lip before turning her head away. She was so cute he almost couldn't stand it. After a moment, she finally looked back at him with a smile and a slight blush.

"I called my mom while I was in there so she wouldn't worry." Marinette said.

"Good idea," Adrien stated. "Are you feeling better?"

Marinette nodded with a smile. "I am. Thank you for the clothes and letting me use your shower."

"Can't have you getting sick." Adrien winked, making Marinette giggle. "What were you doing in the rain anyway?"

"I was making a delivery from the bakery. The weather was fine when I left the bakery, but it started raining out of nowhere on my way back."

"Would you like a ride home? Or we could hang out and do homework until the rain stops?"

"H-homework sounds g-good." Marinette gave the blond boy a nervous smile.

After an hour, the two of them completed two assignments. As Adrien turned his back to put the assignments in his bag, Marinette glanced down and noticed a tiny red spot on the back of his ankle. Suddenly, she gasped, making Adrien whip his head around to face her.

"I knew you got hurt." Marinette gave Adrien a glare that made him swallow hard. Then, he just gave her a nervous grin.

Marinette stood up and went to the bathroom. Adrien heard her rummaging around, and a few minutes later, she came back to the couch with the first aid kit. Without saying a word, she gently grabbed Adrien's ankle and put it on her lap, telling him to lie down. He complied knowing that she wouldn't listen if he protested. He couldn't ignore the softness of her fingers, gently caressing his ankle. She cleaned the cut, bandaged it and moved his ankle off of her lap. He was silently disappointed.

"Th-thank you, Marinette." Adrien's voice sounded too high to his own ears, so he could only imagine how it sounded to Marinette.

"N-no p-problem," Marinette stammered out.

They turned away awkwardly, Marinette looking at the wall while Adrien looked out the window.

Adrien looked back at Marinette, frowning. "The rain stopped."

"Oh. I guess I better go." Marinette frowned

Adrien could see his own sadness reflected in Marinette's face. Adrien suddenly smiled, getting an idea, stood up and offered Marinette his hand. "Can I walk you home?"

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

Marinette took one look at Adrien's smiling face, nodded, and took his hand, standing up. They passed Nathalie on their way out, and Adrien quickly told her that he was walking Marinette home. They made small talk to pass the time during the short walk, and Adrien never let go of Marinette's hand. They arrived at Marinette's house too soon and just stood outside the door in silence. He watched as a breeze blew Marinette's hair to the side. Did she get even more beautiful during the walk? Adrien thought so.

Marinette tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Thanks for walking me home, Adrien."

"You're welcome." Adrien responded. "See you at school tomorrow?"

"Of course!"

Adrien smiled, but then bit his lip nervously before finally pulling Marinette into a tight hug. She returned the hug just as tightly. He let go and began his walk home but quickly glanced back at Marinette and waved. Once he saw her wave back he continued walking. He went to bed that night feeling guilty again, like he was betraying his feelings for Ladybug. Another night of fitful sleep.

Chapter 3: Internal Struggle Part 2

The akumatized person Ladybug was fighting had the top half of a person and the bottom half of a spider. Beams of light were being shot from the mouth. It was red and black and so huge that Ladybug felt like an ant in its presence. She was dodging shots of light and legs that were coming at her too fast to let her come up with a plan. Where was Cat Noir?

Ladybug suddenly tripped over one of the legs, and before she had time to get up, a light beam was coming toward her. A silver stick flew in front of her face, deflecting the beam back at the spider-like akuma, who dodged it. The next thing she knew, Cat Noir was standing in front of her, offering his hand.

"Need a hand, Milady?" Cat Noir asked, looking down at Ladybug with a smile.

Ladybug returned his smile, took his hand and stood up. "Thanks, Kitty."

"I'll distract her, bugaboo. Do your thing."

Cat Noir ran toward the creature with a shout and diverted her attention away from Ladybug. Ladybug quickly called on her Lucky Charm, and a banana peel fell into her hand. Cat Noir had just been struck with one of the giant legs, and he landed on his back at Ladybug's feet.

"Maybe it's telling us to split," the black suited hero said in a pained voice.

Ladybug shook her head with a smile, then focused on figuring out a plan. Once she figured it out, it didn't take long for the duo to save the day.

"See you next time, Cat Noir," Ladybug said, about to leave.

Before she could leave, she heard Cat Noir call out to her. She turned around and faced his remorseful eyes.

"I was late. If you got hurt, it would've been my fault. I'm sorry." Ladybug's partner looked down after apologizing.

Ladybug could tell her Kitty felt really bad. Her heart lurched seeing him like that. She didn't blame him for anything. She wanted to reassure him and make him feel better. Without thinking, she walked right up to him and hugged him. She could tell he was surprised, but after a moment he hugged her back. Ladybug was comfortable. Something about this hug felt familiar, but she couldn't figure out why.

Ladybug had always considered Cat Noir a great partner and friend, but something changed. At the beginning of their partnership his constant flirting had annoyed her, but she had eventually begun to like it. If she was being honest with herself, she had never been immune to his flirting. She had always had a tiny crush on him but because her feelings for Adrien were so much stronger, she was able to keep her feelings for Cat Noir in check, until recently. It was becoming more obvious to her how kind, brave, helpful and chivalrous he was.

Ladybug felt so guilty for having feelings for Cat Noir. She felt like she was betraying her feelings for Adrien. Adrien. She was in love with him but also had feelings for another guy? This wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to either boy, but she could no longer deny that she had feelings for both of them. They had a few things in common, actually. Maybe that's why she had feelings for them both. She lost a lot of sleep thinking about all of this.

Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't pull apart until the second beep of their miraculous. After pulling apart, she saw Cat Noir blushing and staring at her, dumbfounded. She smiled shyly, blushed and looked away. Ladybug heard Cat Noir clear his throat and looked back at him.

"Anyway, I'm really sorry for my bad timing," Cat Noir apologized.

"I'd say your timing was purrrfect."

Cat Noir's eyes widened in shock before he cracked up laughing. "Milady just made a cat pun? Could it be that you're finally feline our chemistry?"

Ladybug giggled. "Silly kitty."

"Would you like to stay and watch this beautiful sunset with me?"

Their miraculous beeped again. "Next time, Kitty." She smiled at him and swung away on her yoyo.

Ladybug quickly found a deserted alleyway, detransformed, gave Tikki a cookie from her purse and started walking back to the park where she left Alya.

"What was that about?" Tikki asked from Marinette's purse.

Marinette knew exactly what Tikki was talking about and felt her face heat up. She wouldn't look at her kwami. "That? Pfft! Just a friendly hug. I was just comforting him."

Once Marinette got back to the park, the two best friends hugged each other, relieved that the other was safe. Alya told her that she got the fight on tape, and that's all they talked about until Alya had to leave.

Night had just fallen, but Marinette wasn't ready to go home yet. She texted her parents to let them know she was okay, then laid back on the soft grass, looking up at the stars. She felt so happy and peaceful but couldn't help but think how much better this moment would be with Cat Noir or Adrien to share it with.

"Hi, Marinette!" She knew Adrien's voice by heart, so she sat up and saw him walking towards her.

She smiled. "Hi, Adrien!" she shouted back.

Once he reached her, he asked, "May I join you?"

"Sure," Marinette grinned, feeling the blush on her cheeks.

Adrien sat down beside her. He was really close, so close that their legs were touching.

"I wanted to watch the sunset, but this is much better," Adrien said while looking up at the stars.

"Why is this better?.

Adrien glanced at Marinette out of the corner of his eye and smiled, face still turned upward. "The company." He winked.

Marinette's heart fluttered in her chest. She just smiled shyly and averted her eyes, feeling her face heat up.

For the next few minutes, the "couple" stayed silent, gazing at the stars. Then a breeze blew, making Marinette shiver slightly and rub her arms. The next thing she knew, something was being draped around her and she saw white fabric. She looked over at Adrien who was just sitting back down. She noticed he was no longer wearing his classic white shirt over his t-shirt. He gave her his shirt. On the inside, she was squealing, but on the outside, she just gave him a loving smile.

Adrien caught her smiling at him and rubbed the back of his neck. "You were cold, right?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Marinette could never really keep her eyes off of Adrien, and it got worse after he gave her his shirt, if that's even possible. He knew so much about stars and mostly kept his eyes fixed on the sky, pointing out constellations. This meant that Marinette could look at him all she wanted. He glanced at her occasionally, but when he did, she quickly turned away.

Marinette pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time and frowned. "I have to head home."

Adrien stood up and held out his hand. "I'll walk you."

Marinette took his hand, stood up and the two started walking.

"Hey, Adrien? Can I ask you something random?"

"Go for it," the green-eyed boy responded, still holding her hand.

Marinette bit her lip, nervous. "Have you ever had feelings for two people at the same time?"

Adrien stopped them and looked at Marinette with a confused expression. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well…uhhh." Marinette frantically tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't give her away, while looking at everything except Adrien.

"Do you have that problem?"

Marinette's heart was pounding. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did she ask that? How was she going to get out of this one? She didn't respond.

"You do, don't you?" Adrien smirked.

Marinette was caught. What could she do? She was getting tired of lying, tired of hiding her feelings. Besides, he might like her too. She had noticed a few things that told her so, but she still wasn't sure. If he did reject her, it would definitely hurt, but he wouldn't be mean about it. Plus, she was pretty confident that he would still be her friend. She took a deep breath, gathering courage and started pulling Adrien along.

"You caught me." Marinette said, looking straight ahead, not wanting the boy beside her to see her red and panicked face.

"Yes I have."

"What did you do about it?"

"I wish I could tell you. I'm going through it right now.

Marinette's heart sank a little but not fully. One of those two girls could be her. It was possible. Still not looking at Adrien, she asked, "Does it feel wrong? Do you feel guilty?"

"Very. Do I know them?"

"Yes."

"What are they like?"

Marinette gulped. She was about to tell Adrien how she felt about him. "Well… the first guy is very sweet. He's also very smart, nice to everyone and chivalrous. He's a gentleman. He's also a very good friend."

"And the second guy?"

"That's the problem. He has the same qualities as the first guy except…"

"Except what?"

"He's really flirty."

"I don't know, Marinette. But maybe we can help each other."

"Okay. What are the two girls like?"

"They're pretty similar. That's my problem too. They're both selfless, brave, kind, really smart and kind of klutzy. I consider them both good friends too."

Marinette's heart did a somersault, and her stomach was full of butterflies. Klutzy? She was the klutziest girl that she knew of. They stopped at Marinette's door and faced each other. Adrien let go of her hand, and Marinette instantly missed his warmth.

Marinette looked up at Adrien with a genuine smile. "I don't know, Adrien, but we'll figure it out together."

Adrien smiled. "Together."

Marinette looked down and saw Adrien's shirt still around her. "Oh, your shirt."

"Keep it," Adrien said. "It looks better on you anyway." He winked, Marinette giggled, and Adrien surprised her by quickly kissing her on the cheek and walking away.

Marinette stood there, stunned as she watched Adrien take a few steps away from her, only to stop, look back at her and wave. She waved back, still stunned and watched him until she could no longer see him.

As soon as Marinette woke up, she sent a text to Alya asking her to come over as soon as she was able to. After sending the text, Marinette zoomed down the stairs and wolfed down her breakfast. She also brushed her teeth, got dressed and did her hair in a hurry, wanting to talk to her best friend as soon as she got there. She needed to tell someone about last night, and she needed advice.

At the sound of the doorbell, Marinette flung the door open, saw Alya and dragged her up to her room. Once in the privacy of her room, Marinette let go of Alya's wrist and turned to face her.

"AdrienandIwatchedthestarslastnnightandhegavemehisshirt!" Marinette let out in one breath

"Woah girl," Alya said calmly. "Breathe and slow down."

Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She spoke again, calmer. "Adrien and I watched the stars last night, and he gave me his shirt." She gestured to the white shirt lying on her bed.

Alya squealed. "I need details!"

Marinette proceeded to tell Alya everything, from Adrien surprising her at the park to him kissing her on the cheek. Alya was silent and patient during the whole story, not even interrupting once. The only sign Marinette got that her best friend was listening was the constant smirk on her face.

Once Marinette was finished, Alya grabbed her hands with that smirk still on her face. That smirk turned into a wide grin, and Alya shrieked with excitement. The girls jumped up and down, screaming in celebration.

After calming down, Marinette asked, "What do I do now?"

"Talk to him girl!"

Alya was right. Marinette's love for Adrien was getting stronger but so were her feelings for Cat Noir. She was ninety percent sure they were the same person but still felt some guilt since she wasn't one hundred percent positive. She had to find out for sure. Alya couldn't stay long, so as soon as she left, Marinette put Adrien's shirt on, transformed and left her house.

Chapter 4: The Reveal

Adrien and Marinette were sitting closely together on the grass, looking up at the stars.

"They're so beautiful," Marinette said.

Adrien tore his eyes away from the stars and looked at her profile. Her dark hair was down, and the moonlight shining down on her gave her a mystical glow. He smiled, looking at her lovingly. "Beautiful."

Marinette looked at Adrien, returning his smile with a blush. She was adorable. He couldn't help but gaze into her sky blue eyes that twinkled like the stars above. He saw her close her eyes and pucker her lips, so he closed his eyes and leaned forward.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Adrien opened his eyes and was greeted with his ceiling. It was a dream, but it felt so real. He wanted to kiss her but didn't get too. Stupid alarm clock. He closed his eyes tight, trying to go back to sleep and get back to that dream with no success. He finally pounded his fist on his alarm clock, got up, gave Plagg some cheese and got ready for the day.

It was going to be a busy day. Adrien had a Chinese lesson directly after breakfast, fencing, and he had to practice the piano. He wished it wasn't the weekend. He'd rather be in school. While most people got to relax on the weekends, that wasn't the case for him. His favorite part of life was school. Not only did he love learning, but that's when he got to see his friends. He rarely ever saw them outside of school.

Adrien was finished with his Chinese lesson and fencing class, so it was time for piano practice. His father expected him to learn multiple pieces a week, which was tiring. He loved the piano, but he wanted to play something different, something more happy and upbeat. Fat Chance. His father would never approve of that. He had started working on this particular piece yesterday, and thanks to his good memory and musical skill, he already had it memorized.

Adrien was bored and lonely. He thought back to his dream and suddenly had the urge to see Marinette. He also felt a pang of guilt. It was Ladybug he should be thinking about. Ladybug. He felt an urge to see her as well. More guilt. If only Marinette and Ladybug were the same person. He was ninety percent sure they were but not one hundred percent positive. He had to know. He played his piano recording, transformed and leaped out of his window.

Cat Noir hopped from rooftop to rooftop searching for his lady. He spotted a red suit with black polka dots a few feet ahead of him and called out to her. She landed on the nearest rooftop, and he followed, landing in front of her.

"Hello, milady," Cat noir greeted with a smile. "What brings you out on this purrrfect day?"

Ladybug smiled back. "Actually, I was looking for you, Kitty."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need to talk," Ladybug stated seriously.

Cat Noir matched her tone. "Yeah, we do. I was looking for you too."

"Not here though." Ladybug took Cat Noir's hand and lead him to a secluded section of the roof where no one could see them.

"So," Ladybug started, wringing her hands.

Cat Noir had never seen Ladybug this nervous around him. He found it endearing. He could see this was hard for her, so he just waited patiently.

Ladybug finally continued after a few moments of silence. "I like you, Cat Noir."

The black clad hero was stunned. He had pictured this scene a million times, and it was finally happening? He knew his bugaboo had become less annoyed by his flirting. She didn't always brush him off anymore. She played along…sometimes, but he wasn't expecting this.

"But…" the girl in red continued.

Cat Noir deflated a little. Of course there was a but.

"I'm still in love with someone else."

Cat Noir perked up. "That boy you told me about after we defeated Glaciator?"

Ladybug's eyes widened. "You remember that?"

"I remember everything about you," Cat Noir stated seriously with love in his eyes.

Ladybug smiled shyly and blushed, reminding him of Marinette. His suspicion went up to ninety-two percent. An idea struck him. "What's this other guy like?"

Ladybug's blue eyes sparkled like stars. Ninety-five percent.

"He's a very good friend of mine. He's chivalrous, kind, sweet, handsome," Ladybug said dreamily. "I could go on forever."

He knew Marinette liked Adrien. All of the blushing and awkwardness made it obvious, especially since they started hanging out more. He was sure that Marinette was talking about him on the way to her house last night, and Ladybug was using Marinette's words to describe the boy she loved. Everything fit. One hundred percent.

"Am I a terrible person?" Ladybug's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Of course not. You're the best person I know," Cat Noir reassured his lady.

"But I have feelings for two guys."

"No, you don't, Marinette."

Ladybug starred at her partner, wide eyed.

Cat Noir smiled. "Claws in."

After a green flash of light, Adrien stood in front of Ladybug.

Ladybug just smiled at Adrien. "Spots off."

A red light flashed leaving Marinette in Ladybug's place.

"I'm happy it's you," they said in unison, then laughed together.

Once the laughter died down, Adrien walked towards Marinette, only leaving an inch of space between them. Marinette's face turned scarlet as Adrien grabbed her hand and gazed at her.

"Marinette, will you be my girlfriend?" Adrien asked, heart pounding.

Marinette looked at Adrien, eyes shining with happiness. "I'd love to be your girlfriend, Adrien."

"I love you, Marinette."

"I love you too, Adrien."

Adrien put his hand on Marinette's cheek, and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, Marinette's eyes opened slightly, and she puckered her lips. Adrien was about to have his first kiss, that he could remember anyway. He thought it was the same for her, so he wanted it to be special for her. Before he could overthink it anymore, he closed his eyes, leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

A few moments later they broke apart. Marinette wrapped her arms tightly around Adrien's neck, and he returned her embrace just as tightly.

"I was that obvious, huh?" Marinette asked, her arms still around Adrien.

"It's okay. You figured me out too," Adrien responded with a chuckle. "How does Andre's sound for a first date?"

"That sounds pawsitively purrrfect." Marinette grinned.

Adrien looked at his girlfriend, awestruck. "I love it when you make cat puns."

Marinette giggled and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss before dragging him with her to look for Andre. They found the ice cream man in the park and walked up to him hand in hand.

"Beautiful Marinetta, model boy Adrien. Can I get you some ice cream?" Andre said with a grin.

"Yes please," the couple stated in unison.

Andre started dipping the ice cream. "Peach and BlackBerry, an odd pairing in fact, but often, it's the opposites that attract." He handed Adrien the ice cream and winked, making the pair laugh. They thanked Andre, took their ice cream and sat on a bench. They fed each other the ice cream and came up with a story of how they got together. They obviously couldn't tell anyone the whole truth, so they decided to say that Marinette texted Adrien asking to meet at the park. She confessed her feelings first, and he said he felt the same way. He asked her to be his girlfriend, she said yes, they kissed, and Adrien suggested Andre's for their first date.

After finishing their ice cream, Adrien and Marinette just sat on the bench talking, his arm around her waist. Eventually, they fell asleep with his arm still around her, her head on his shoulder and his head on top of hers with her hand on his chest. Adrien woke up first and decided he better get home before someone noticed he was missing, even though he didn't want to. He looked at Marinette and saw her sleeping, smiling face. He smiled to himself and gently shook her awake. After walking Marinette home and giving her a quick goodbye kiss, Adrien went to the nearest empty alley.

Plagg flew out of Adrien's shirt to float in front of him. "So that finally happened."

"Yes it did," Adrien responded with a smile.

Adrien fed Plagg a piece of cheese and transformed. Once home, he turned off the piano recording, suddenly feeling like playing himself. After piano practice, he did homework. He got most of it done and decided that he would do the rest tomorrow. He was putting his stuff in his school bag when he got a video call from Nino.

"Congrats, dude," Nino said as soon as Adrien answered the phone.

"For what?"

"You and Marinette. Alya just told me."

Adrien smiled. "Thanks, Nino."

Adrien told Nino the story that he and Marinette came up with and talked for another twenty minutes. After getting in bed, Adrien called Marinette, and the two of them talked until they fell asleep. He fell asleep that night truly happy for the first time in a long time.

The next day was Sunday, and unfortunately, Adrien couldn't see Marinette at all. He found out that she had to help out in the bakery all day from their phone call last night. He had a photo shoot that afternoon and had to finish his homework, anyway. He missed her like crazy and made sure to text her throughout the day. He had it bad already.

The next morning at school, Adrien was the only one left in the locker room when Marinette ran inside, straight to her locker. She was facing her open locker, unaware of Adrien's presence, which gave him an idea.

Adrien smirked, tiptoed up behind Marinette and in a slightly louder than normal voice said, "Boo!"

"Ahhh!" Marinette jumped and threw her arms in the air. She turned around, looked surprised to see Adrien, then glared. "Adrien! You startled me!"

"I'm sorry, Marinette." Adrien chuckled. "I love teasing you. You're adorable." He gave her an affectionate smile.

Marinette's face melted into a shy smile, and pink colored her cheeks.

Adrien gave the girl in front him a gentlemanly bow, holding out his hand. "May I walk you to class, milady?"

Marinette giggled, placing her hand in his. "I'd be honored, kind sir."

After kissing her hand and enjoying the surprised look on her face, Adrien led Marinette to class by the hand. After entering the classroom, all eyes were on the new couple. Alya and Nino just grinned while everyone else looked shocked before smiling, everyone except for Chloe that is. Adrien walked Marinette to her seat and sat on the edge of her desk, watching a scowling Chloe out of the corner of his eye. She began walking toward Adrien, and he inwardly sighed. Here we go.

"What is the meaning of this, Adrikins!?" Chloe shouted once she reached Marinette's desk. "You're not really dating, right?"

Adrien stayed seated but took Marinette's hand again, looking at his childhood friend with annoyance. "Marinette is my girlfriend, Chloe."

"But, I'm a better match for you than her!" Chloe glared at Marinette.

Adrien was angry now. "No one is better for me than Marinette."

"This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe stated and stomped back to her seat.

Adrien was so glad that Lila wasn't there. He didn't feel like dealing with both of the mean girls reactions to his new relationship status in the same day. He felt a tug on his hand and looked at Marinette. Seeing the affection in her eyes, his anger melted away. "What is it?"

"You're the best."

Adrien smiled and gave Marinette a quick peck on the cheek before taking his own seat.

About an hour into the school day, there was an akuma alert. School was dismissed, and the students were sent home until the trouble was dealt with. Marinette went home so that her parents wouldn't worry, and Adrien went to a nearby hiding spot, transformed and waited for his lady. Ladybug showed up, and the two of them headed toward the akuma.

Defeating the akuma was easier than ever. They were used to knowing exactly what the other wanted them to do in battle, but somehow that got even better. It was like knowing each other's identities strengthened their partnership. They were way more in sync then before, if that was even possible.

After saving the day, Marinette and Adrien, along with the rest of the students returned to school.

"That fight was epic, and I got it all on camera," Alya said excitedly.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir saved the day again," Nino added.

Adrien and Marinette shared a secretive smile. That's how it would always be.


End file.
